


In Laughter

by whatiwroteinink



Category: Dead Poets Society (1989)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationships, Light Angst, i wrote this for a fic exchange a while back but cant remember who for, im sorry :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 15:18:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19379362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatiwroteinink/pseuds/whatiwroteinink
Summary: todd feels sad so neil goes out of his way to make him feel better. because thats what friends are for, right?





	In Laughter

“Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends.” 

Neil turned back to the director expectantly as he finished his monologue. Blocking the end of the show that night had been a rush of activity, and now, as he spoke the final lines, he waited in an excited anticipation for his last stage directions.

“Good, Neil, excellent!” the director, a kind brunette woman named Marie, smiled encouragingly. “I can’t believe this is your first stage experience! Your delivery, your presence… it’s truly remarkable! And-”

“Mrs. Marie…” Neil chuckled apologetically, “My next movement?”

“Right, right.” she laughed along with him, then paused to check her script for the blocking. “Okay- I want you to move back slowly after you deliver the final line. Remember, Puck may be a prankster - “that shrewd and knavish sprite” - but he’s smart. He’s graceful, and he wants to make sure nothing that he does actually upsets anyone. He wants everyone to believe it was a dream. Keep that air of mystery in your voice and your movement. Now try the entire monologue again.”

Neil nodded and moved back down center to deliver his lines again. It was at that point he noticed his friends all standing in the back of the theatre, waving at him as they caught his eye. He smiled in return, and began to speak. 

“If we shadows have offended, think but this, and all is mended,” 

Pausing, Neil saw Charlie frantically whispering into each of the boys ears. When he finished, a smirk was on each of their faces. 

_ Oh dear… _ Neil thought, taking in their mischievous expressions. Still, he continued on.

“That you have but slumber'd here while these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme no more yielding but a dream,” 

A loud zipping and rustling sound was heard from the rear of the theatre, and Neil groaned internally as he saw Charlie pulling out his saxophone and putting the mouthpiece together. 

“Gentles, do not reprehend: if you pardon we will mend. Else the Puck a liar call.”

The boys began to get in what appeared to be a dance formation with Charlie in the front as he slowly brought the saxophone to his lips. Just as he was about to play-

“You boys up there! Quiet for the duration of rehearsal!” Mrs. Marie called. Neil looked at her, and she gestured for him to continue. 

“Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends.”

Neil smiled in the quiet sort of way he reserved for Puck and moved slowly back, covering his face with the berries and twigs attached to his hands. 

Mrs. Marie clapped twice and signaled the end of rehearsal. She yelled over the rustling of bags and fabric, “Remember to leave your costumes on the racks or cubbies! No rehearsal Saturday or Sunday but tech is coming in full force on Monday and I want you prepared! That means good rest, water…”

Neil let his director’s voice fade into the background as he focused his attention on his friends laughing at the back of the theatre. After walking backstage just long enough to drop off his crown and change back into street clothes before practically running to meet his friends.

“Hey, looks like the whole gang's here,” Neil chuckled, taking stock of the group in front of him. “What was that bit with the saxophone?”

“Boredom at work,” Charlie said, a signature smirk on his face.

“Alright, that’s fair,” Neil smiled, ending the topic. “Now, what’s the occasion?” 

“Friday night!” Knox grinned enthusiastically.

“Yeah, we’re headed to Pop’s and going down Main Street,” Meeks added. “That is, unless you’d rather head back to Hell-ton for some study group?” 

“Hell no!” Neil laughed, following them out the door. Looking around, though, he stopped. Again he counted the boys around him.  _ Charlie, Knox, Meeks, Pitts, even Cameron… _

“Where’s Todd?”

“Of course that’s your question,” Pitts rolled his eyes at Neil’s quizzical look.

“It’s almost like we aren’t your best friends anymore,” Charlie whined, grabbing Neil on the arm and guiding him towards the main road.

“Oh, I didn’t mean-” 

“Don’t be so apologetic,” Charlie said, barely containing his laughter at Neil’s panic. “Todd’s meeting us later. He said he had some assignment to do.”

“Oh, alright then,” Neil replied, his happiness at the prospect evident.

The boys walked down the street, pushing into each other happily. The dying autumn light cast dappled shadows on the pavement and the wind rustled the golden leaves quietly- all in all, a perfect day. The only thing that would make it more perfect would be-

“Todd!” Neil called out, seeing his friend bike into view from behind them.

“Hey Neil,” Todd said quietly, blushing. He hopped off his bike and began to walk it slightly behind the group. Neil fell back into step with him.

“I’m surprised you came out. Charlie said you had homework?”

“Yeah. It was just… it wasn’t actually… I was writing to my parents.”

“Oh,” Neil said softly. “How did that go?”

“I just sent the letter, Neil,” Todd chuckled.

“Right.” Neil said, shaking his head. “So-“

“Hey lovebirds back there!” Charlie called back, cutting Neil off. “We’re here!”

Todd started, taking a step away from Neil as the moved into the small storefront of Pop’s Soda Fountain. The sweet smells and cheerful music in the air created a nice atmosphere to sit and relax, but the boys had no intentions of doing that. Immediately upon walking in, the majority of the group was looking for trouble. 

“No, please, boys…” a worried server said, intercepting them before they sat down. “Not today. Not today…”

“What do you mean, not today?” Todd asked, looking around at the rest of the boys in confusion.

“Yeah!” Charlie exclaimed. “We come in here all the time and we are perfectly decent about it, William.” 

“Yeah, we just want some milkshakes,” Meeks added.

“The last time you were here,” the server, now identified as William, sighed, “you recited algebraic formulas so loudly you drove actual,  _ decent _ customers away.”

         “I’m sorry they couldn’t appreciate knowledge!” Pitts laughed. William looked dubious about letting them come in farther, but as always, Neil was there to save it.

         “We’re not here to recite formulas this time, Will,” he said calmly, putting all of his powers of persuasion into the sentence. Finally, the server relented, and the boys walked in and found a table. 

      Upon sitting down Neil burst out laughing. 

      “We aren’t here to recite algebraic formulas,” he got out, “because it’s much more fun to recite Shakespeare.” 

      “Todd’s been helping me with my lines,” he continued, pulling a script out of his bag. “Watch this.”

      Still smiling, he turned towards Todd to give him the script. However, his happiness turned to concern at Todd’s expression. He was staring blankly ahead, his hands fidgety but his movements small.

     “Actually,” Neil said, without looking away from the boy in front of him, “I’m gonna head back to Welton.”

     Upon the slightly confused nods of the rest of the group, Neil handed his script to Charlie.

     “Get it back to me in one piece,” he said, smiling at Charlie’s awed expression at being trusted with Neil’s script. 

     On the way out the door, he stopped and turned back around. “Todd,” he smiled, catching the other boys eye. “You’re coming with me.”

     The walk back to Welton was silent, with both boys wanting to say something and neither knowing what. Back in their dorm, the calm was broken. Todd began to cry, his quiet sobs carrying through the still air. 

     “Hey, hey, Todd,” Neil said, startled, and moved to where Todd was sitting on his bed to comfort him. “What happened?”

     “Nothing, it’s… nothing.”

     “It’s something.”

     “It’s stupid.”

     “No, it isn’t.”

     Todd sighed, his mental hesitation evident. Neil waited for the shorter boy to speak, not pressing further.

     “It’s my parents. They’re… I wrote them, but I know they won’t even respond. I didn’t even mention the desk set. I’m too much of a goddamn coward to say anything I feel.”

    “Todd,” Neil paused his speech, grabbing Todd’s shoulders and turning him towards him. “You are not a coward. You face your fears head on. That poem in Keating’s? The fact that you even  _ try _ with your parents? I couldn’t… I would never speak to my dad and pretend everything is fine. Maybe some might see that as a good thing. It’s not. You, Todd Anderson, are the bravest person I have ever met.”

     Just then, the boys realized how close they were to each other. How close their faces were, how easily they could lean in and-

     “Hey boys!” Charlie yelled, flinging open the door dramatically. 

     “Back so soon?” Neil laughed. “And before curfew?”

     “Yeah,” Charlie replied. “What can I say, I’m full of surprises!”

     Neil shook his head. “Did you get-”

     “Yeah, we got kicked out. For yawping,” Pitts admitted. The room only stayed silent and serious for a second before everyone burst out laughing. 

     Laughter in their eyes and smiles in their hearts, the Dead Poets had won the night.   

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> this is cross posted on my tumblr!! i hope you enjoyed. follow me @and-its-only-us and @what-i-wrote-in-ink! comment and kudos!!


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